Did I just eat a turtle? A unique Japanese delicacy known as Suppon soft-shelled turtle. Famous trough East Asia and considered equivalent to medicine from ancient Chinese history.

Suppon Asian soft-shelled turtle or snapping turtle is the only eaten in Japan. Believed to give energy. Soft-shelled turtles are usually seen swimming in slow-flowing rivers or rice fields. Nowadays, Suppon is eaten at Washoku restaurants and is an expensive dish. According to archaeological, snapping turtles have been eaten in Japan since at least the 1st century and the cuisine has a history in China going back some 5000 years.

MY SUPPON EXPERIENCE

The first course, a shot of turtle blood mixed with sake. However, the taste was not as strong as expected but surprisingly sweet. The second course, green coloured shot, turtle gallbladder with an intensely bitter flavour. At this point, I was really getting hungry. Finally, the starters have arrived, raw turtle liver, a very soft texture and simply similar to raw meat.

Odori Ebi dancing shrimp (meaning live shrimps) known as a sushi delicacy of Japan in a form of sashimi dipped in soya sauce. Odori Ebi is very expensive to order due to its preparation which must be quick and skilfully to keep the shrimp live.

As per my colleagues showed me, I had to remove the head, while the shrimp is still twitching on my plate then dip into the soya sauce then eat it. I was not too sure what to expect. The texture of the shrimp was soft with a bit of crunch and sweet flavour.

Lastly, the two main dishes were the Turtle Hot Pot Stew すっぽん鍋 and risotto Suppon. The broth in both was rich but surprisingly light. Made with the classic Japanese broth ingredients Mirin, Kombu, shitake mushroom, Shoyu and other. Didn’t know what to expect as turtle favour, to be honest. The turtle was tender and moist like the chicken but fattier and slightly gelatinous.

WHY JAPANESE ENJOY THEIR FOOD SO FRESH?

Japanese cuisine is about appearance, texture and taste of ingredients as close to its original form as possible. Freshness is a bridge to fancy techniques while the cooking remains minimal. The Japanese approach to cuisine is not transformative, instead, Japanese culinary techniques and rules of aesthetics aim to create a final dish that appears close to nature and in touch with the seasons. I believe that every culture around the world has its own philosophy…

20 replies on “Suppon a soft-shelled turtle Japanese delicacy”

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